Details

Still trim at 70.

Selle SMP is turning 70 the way any dedicated cyclist would like to: by maintaining a trim, lightweight, padding-free, race-focused body. Case in point: the Composit 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Saddle, which maintains the same sleek profile as the standard Composit but with a few celebratory additions that range from the material to the aesthetic. Despite those changes, the saddle still features SMP's signature drooping nose, a design that may first inspire quizzical looks but, after riding it, often ends up inspiring zealous devotion.

But the special edition additions: The material elements include handpainted plating underneath, which is secured with a special run of bolts produced by a high-end Italian machinist outfit. The aesthetic touches are accents to the tune of the Italian tricolor. Somewhere between the two, the on-tone stitching across the saddle's face is made from a soft, luxurious yarn. It's a pleasant embellishment that adds a touch of functional grip. Aesthetics and form also meet in the saddle's cover, which is either real leather (black) or synthetic microfiber (white).

The Composit is similar to Selle SMP's wider Forma, but it's designed for smaller waists and body types—think more along the lines of Il Pirata than the Lion King. That means the Composit, as mentioned above, eschews padding altogether, making it the lightest of the Anniversary line and recommending it for cyclists who want to feel as much of the road as possible.

The saddle's "beak" shape provides a flat base to support the ischium while alleviating pressure on the genitals, regardless of how slammed your stem is. The Composit also features SMP's pronounced central channel, which further reduces pressure on the pudendal nerve and surrounding soft tissue. The raised tail helps coach the hips into a forward rotation for more efficient pedaling, a position that also keeps body weight divided between the rear and lower part of the ischial tuberosity region. This shape also helps reduce overall pressure on the coccyx while riding over rough surfaces—smoothing over the kidney punch effect of road surfaces that threaten to eject bottles.